Release of Final Second Priority Substances List Assessment Report

On January 23, 2010, the results of the final Second Priority Substances List (PSL2) assessment report on three aluminum salts (aluminum chloride, aluminum nitrate and aluminum sulphate) were published in the Canada Gazette, Part I.

A summary of the final assessment report on aluminum salts is available at:

The final report concludes that the three aluminum salts do not meet any of the criteria set out in section 64 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999), and the Ministers of the Environment and of Health propose to take no further action on the three aluminum salts at this time under section 77 of the Act.

Background

Aluminum salts were added on the Priority Substances List in 1995 on the recommendation of an expert advisory panel (drawn from major stakeholder groups) to identify substances that warranted priority attention for risk assessment.

Because of the limitations of the available data on human health effects of three aluminum salts, it was determined that additional information was required to complete the assessment. Therefore, a Notice of Suspension pursuant to subsection 78(2) of the Act was published on December 2, 2000, in order to allow for the development of further toxicological information required for the assessment.

A draft PSL2 report on three aluminum salts was released on February 7, 2009, and a notice was published indicating the government's proposed measures for these substances. Following the release of this information, there was a 60-day public comment period, from February 7, 2009 to April 8, 2009. During the public comment period, stakeholders could file written comments on the recommendations the Ministers proposed to take, and their scientific basis. The public comments received from stakeholders have been considered and addressed within the final PSL report, and responses to the comments received are provided at the following link: